Boys basketball: Brown, River View top Connell in showdown

The last two seasons, the River View vs. Connell boys basketball games have been as close as can be.

Friday night’s version was no different, as the Panthers held off the Eagles for a 41-38 SCAC East victory in Finley.

“Last year we played Connell three times and won by one point twice and lost the other one by a point,” River View coach Roger Sonderland said. “This is a standard River View-Connell game. They all go down to the wire.”

The Panthers jumped out to a 15-8 lead after the first and Connell got within one several times in the fourth, but Terran Brown was 5-for-5 from the line in the fourth quarter to keep the Eagles at bay.

The win was also nice for River View, which lost at Wahluke in overtime Tuesday. Brown was scoreless in that game. He finished with 12 against Connell.

Gage Taylor’s 10 led Connell, which was undefeated in league coming in.